Previews

Genji

Although play areas are at times vast, Genji seems to be a fairly linear type of adventure. The quest is propelled from one area to another by end-of-stage boss battles. These climactic battles are set apart from the skirmishes with other samurai, as they involve mythical creatures (such as the first area's Phoenix-like monster and a scary unicorn) instead of human enemy characters.

Genji's power-up system is pretty simple. Level-ups occur after you clear a part of the game. Also, crystals can be collected and used to power special moves. Three crystals can be assigned to each of the playable characters' three specials. Yoshitsune and Benkei's inventories can be controlled in the pause screen, and here you can select which special move to rely on in times of crisis. Genji is not remarkably tactical -- the emphasis is placed squarely on action, and the speed and grace of combat is technically impressive -- but MP and HP do rear their heads.

The most impressive thing about Genji, however, is how much it recalls Akira Kurosawa's legendary samurai movies. You can almost touch the atmosphere of this game. And, to boot, Genji is a stunning graphical tour de force for the PS2. There's no multiplayer, and it's not really innovative, but it's more polished and complete than Otogi or Onimusha. Game Republic is a developer to watch.